After guiding the South Plainfield High School field hockey team to a 21-2-1 record, collecting the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title and securing a berth in the NJSIAA North 2 Group III final, Cheryl Hughes is the Home News Tribune Field Hockey Coach of the Year.
“Any time you get recognized it’s special,” Hughes said. “This year was special to me and this was the best team I’ve ever coached. I didn’t want this season to end. I told the girls that I feel blessed to coach them and we knew we had a special team coming back from last year. I knew that it would be a great season with this group.”
South Plainfield took down East Brunswick to win the GMCT in October and made it all the way to the sectional final, something Hughes is particularly proud of.
“At the beginning of the season, we asked the girls what their goals were,” Hughes said. “They said to win the GMC, which we were able to do. They wanted to make it to the sectional final, though. They were able to meet their second goal as well, and it was very satisfying for everyone involved .”